Incubator hatching compartment



Nov. 24, 1931. vlw. F. HILLPOT 1,833,020

INGUBATOR HATCHING COMPARTMENT Filed May 14, 1929 1 6 l 3-00000 r0 0- 0 0. 0- 0 "0 0Q0QUQ0Q0O0Q 0G0- UC 3000000000000000 3000000000000000 @nonOOQQQQOOOAOQQQQQQQQQQ 0000000T00000000 HGM Q9 'u-'fyf w' Qi/MJ 7 I y 7 Mn; Mfr-?? Patented Nov. 24, 1931 UNITED s-'rAres lPATENT OFFICE Application med Igny 14, 193i. luid 80.102.902.

My inventionrelates to mechanism .of the general character described and claimed `in Letters Patent of the United States 1,489,597 granted to me April 8, 1924, .und 1,545,425. granted to me July 7, 1925, and .1,732,891 granted to me October 22, 1929, wherein the means for supportingegg include `a. vertical seriesof trays each suppomdrby detaheble connection with a. plurality of vertically extending endless chain bolts; whereby elch tray is pivotally supported so that itmay Vbe tilted, to and from'l hormontal poni-tion, and inclined in either of two opposite directions to ,turn the eggs, with the object and eect of preventing the embryos from sticking to the shells; and each tray may be Vprogressed verf tically during the incubating period, from the place of introduction ofthe. fresh Veggs to the place of c lisohstrge of the hatched chicks.

In the. forniV of my invention Shown `in Said Letters Patent.; means are provided, in the lower portion of the. 0hwbGl30l1DR8 compartments in Yrigi relntion with @geh other in which may be `placed insuion the trays removedfrom the chains:V aforesaid; 1t being advantageous@ put the treys insuch compartments with covers. over them, Vwhen the chicks vare about to hatch, to. prevent the chicks Vfrom escaping into sind ehember. However, such stationary compgrtmonts gre extremelyV diiicult to clean `and, the PurPQSe and effect ofmy present invention to provide portable casing means .clordms tray compartments and adapted lto be Plaedvn spaced relation with each other, to hold the trays and their covers, in proper-'spaced rela.- tion during the hatohingoperation, so as to permit thorough ventilation of the` compart ments Withar circulating in said chamber, and to permit the ready removal ofallothe compartment casings, to facilitato cleaning them and the Hoor of said chamber.

As hereinafter described, such compart- L' ments may bc formed in a series of foruminons travcasings of rectangular contiguation, each having tray spacing means projecting inwardly from its opposite side walls, to support the, trays in vcrticglly spaced rc lation, and having casing spacing means j ctillg loutwardly from said side walls to tposition the casings in laterally spaced relalon.

My invention includes the various novel features of construction and arrangement 55 hereinafter more deiinitely speciiied.

Fig. l isa pla-n View of an egg tray casing.

F ig. .Il is an elevation of the left hand end of said casing.

Fig. Ill `is an elevation of the right hand o0 side of l seid casing, as indicated in Fig. II.

Fig. IV is e fragmentary vertical sectional view of en incubator of theV type above contemplated, with a convenient embodiment of my invention, including a series of such casun in s, in the lower portion of the egg chamber.

ig- V is an end elevation of two egg tray casings, of modified construction.

F ig. VI is a. fragmentary inverted plan view of said egg tray casing.

Fig. VII `is a fragmentary sectional View of the left hand end of the egg tray indicated in F ig. II, and with a. similar egg tray inverted over it to form an nclosure for the hatched chicks.

Referring to the yform of my invention shown in Figs. I to IV inclusive; I provide a seriesof egg tray Casin s l, of rectangular con uretion, each forme of foraminous materia eferably perforated sheet iron or an steel g vanzed or otherwise coated with corrosion resisting material.

.Each of .Said casings l has, projecting inwardly from the opposite sidewalls 2 and 3 thereof, vn series of tray spacing members 854 44nd 'which ,are preferably T-shaped rails which are welded, soldered, or otherwise rigidly connected with said side walls, in the spaced relation best shown in Fig. Il. Each of seid casings 1 also has, projecting outwardly from Said opposite .side walls 2 and 3, easing spacing members 7 and 8 which are conveniently outwardly bent portions of metal bands '9 and l0 which are fixed upon 95 the opposite ends of said casing 1 convenientl f by welding or soldering them.

If f nd it, convenient to leave in the bottom wall 1l of each of said casings 1 an opening 12 extending from .end to end thereof, to 190 may include heat insulated walls land 117, the latter being an end wall provided with the door 18, to ali'ord access to tlieinterior of said chamber.

Said incubator structure includes a series of shafts 2() mounted to rotate in suitable bearings conveniently supported by timbers..v

2l. Each of said shafts carries a pair of chain wheels 23 in axiallyspaced position thereon,- and a chain wheel 24, adapted to respectively support endless chain tray supporting belts 2o and a tray tilting belt 27.

b'aid belts are means for upholding vertical series of egg trays 29, each having suspension means 3l and 32, such-as hooks, adapted to be engaged in links or other openings in said belts; as specified at length in my copending application SerialrNo. 362,90l filed May let, 1929, for Letters Patent of the United b'tates.

As described in that application; each of said trays may be formed entirely of metal, its bottom, sides and ends being formed of a single piece of reticulated wire fabric, which is reinforced at its upper edge by a metal frame uponwhich said suspension hooks are rigidly fastened, conveniently by rivets which extend through base plates of the hooks, and through said fabric and frame.

As above contemplated; Atrays containing fresh eggs are detachably suspended at the tops of the series of trays, as indicated in Fig. IV and thereafter progressed downwardly, step by step, during the `major portion of the period of gestation, say for twenty days. At the end of that time, the

trays at the bottom of the series contain eggs which are about to hatch, and those traysv may be removed and placed in the compart' ments formed in said casings l, as indicated inV Fig. 1V; each tray having a cover-30 placed thereover, which cover may be a similar, but empty, tray turned upside down. Each tray with its cover thus forms a cage for the hatched chicks, and issupported in such spaced relation as indicated in Figs. II and IV, to permit free circulation of air vertically and laterally with respect to the contents of each tray. a

As indicated in F ig. IV; the casings 1 with their spacing means 7 and 8 above'described, (if such means are in horizontal alinenient), prevent the removal of any such casing except in the order of its succession from left to right, and impose the necessity of replacing them in reverse order, i. e., in succession from right to left. That construction and arrangement is advantageous under circumstances where it is desired to prevent indiscriminate removal of such casings l with respect to the series in which they have been placed. However, if it is desired to permit each casing to be removed and replaced, indiscriminately, without regard to its position in the series; rI lind it advantageous to provide the reinforcing bands 9 and l0 with respective bends 33 and 34 which are like the bends 7 and 8 aforesaid except that they do not come in horizontal alinenient with each other and, therefore, do not interfere with each other when the casings are moved iny andout of the series.

As far asl am aware; it is broadly new to provide 'an incubator structure withliatching compartments wnich. are portableand tlius capable of being readily removed from their normal position torfacilitate cieaniiig them aiidtlieiioor or other subjacent portion of tlie:incubator. Therefore, l do not desire to limit myself to the precise details of construction and arrangement herein set forth, as it is obvious that various modilications may bemade therein without departing from the essential features of my invention, as delined in lthe 4appended claims.

l claim:

l. An incubator eggtray casing including a single foraminous metal sheet bent to rectangular contiguration with a waste discharge opening between its opposite edges at the bottom of said casing.

v 2. A casing as in claim i, having reinforcing bands at opposite ends thereof extending across said bottom opening.

3. ln incubator hatching compartments; the combination with a portable Ioraminous tray casing, of rectangular conn'guration; ofl egg tray spacing means projecting inwardly fioiiiopposite side walls of said casing; casing y spacing means projecting outwardly from said side walls; and reinforcing bands l respectively at opposite ends thereof; said casing spacing means being outward bends in said bands.

4. ln.incubator hatching compartments; the combination with a portable foraminous tray casing, of rectangular conli'guration; of egg tray spacing means projecting inwardly from opposite side walls of said cas ing; casing spacingmeans projecting outwardly from said side walls; and reinforcing bands respectively at opposite ends thereof; said casing'spacing means being outward bends in said bands, which extend at different levels at 'the respectively opposite ends-of the casing.

`5. In incubator hatching compartments; the combination with a portable foraminous tray casing, of rectangular configuration; of egg tray spacing means projecting inwardly from oppositel side walls of said casing; casing spacing means projecting outwardly from said sidewalls; and reinforcing bands llU respectively at opposite ends thereof; said casing 'spacing means being outwardly extending projections on said bands.

6. A structure as in claim 5; wherein the casing spacing means extend at different lev-y els at respectively opposite ends of the casing.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,lthis 7th day of May, 1929.

WILLIAM FINNEY HILLPOT. 

